libyan rebels celebrate a landmark decision by the u.n. >> after weeks of talks, the security council okays a no-fly zone and more to try to blunt moammar gadhafi's attacks on civilians. hello, it is 11:00 a.m. in tripoli, 6:00 p.m. in tokyo. >> i'm jim clancy at cnn center in atlanta. you are watching "world one." coming up, one week after japan was hit by an earthquake and then a tsunami, efforts to stop nuclear reactors from overheating are going ahead nonstop. a moment of silence in the tsunami zone, over 6,000 people are now known to have died, and over 10,000 are still missing. and for the people who have

survived, life still tough. not only homeless, many of them are also short of basic necessities. we begin in libya where rebels desperate for help have been given help after an historic vote at the u.n. the future of libya remains uncertain, but the international community has spoken and the message could be a game-changer for moammar gadhafi. richard roth has details on the diplomatic action from new york. >> reporter: it was a dramatic cliff hanger, susan rice had to work the phones to win enough support for passage of a resolution authorizing a no-fly zone over libya backed by military force. >> this resolution should send a strong message to colonel gadhafi and his regime that the violence must stop, the killing must stop, and the people of libya must be protected and have

the opportunity to express themselves freely. >> reporter: with drama in the air once again in the u.n. security chamber, the resolution passed, but barely. ten countries, one more than required voted yes on this robust resolution lobbied heavily for by france, lebanon, and the united kingdom. the diplomats have acted, now it's the turn of the government and the military. >> the united kingdom and other countries in nato, arab league countries of course will be looking to implement those measures that we'll authorize today. >> the fallout from the u.s. invasion of iraq was not forgotten by the five countries which abstained from approval. >> we've seen great risks. the likelihood of loss of life should not be underestimated. >> germany announced it would not contribute troops. russia and china decided not to veto but said there was a rush to judgment before a u.n. call for a cease-fire was tested.

no-fly zones in iraq and bosnia some 20 years ago weren't always able to stop aggression. happiest of all at the u.n. was moammar gadhafi's former ambassador saying he serves for the people of libya. >> it is a clear message to the libyan people that they are not alone. that the international community is with them, and they are going to help them to protect themselves. >> as the libyan army advanced, the pace of diplomacy surged here. now a resolution backed by international force is on the international law books. what is the reaction in tripoli? moammar gadhafi's son tells cnn that troops will be in circling the rebel stronghold benghazi rather than posing a frontal attack on it. he says rebels in the city are all traitors who have made libya a laughing stock. but in a radio speech thursday, the colonel said the rebels do have a way out.

>> translator: he who hands over his weapon and join us, we the people, he who surrenders his weapon or stay at home without weapon, he will have amnesty and responsible for that. amnesty for anyone who throws away his weapon, throw away your rifle. starting from tomorrow, throw away your rifles. machine guns, ammunition, anyone who throws away his gun, stay at home without a weapon, that's fine. whatever he's done in the past, he will have amnesty, he is protected. >> disarming the rebels, certainly a key concern for the libyan government. once the u.n. vote happened, reaction from the gadhafi camp was swift. nic robertson is in tripoli and

has spoken to several government officials including one of moammar gadhafi's sons. >> well, the deputy foreign minister responded quite quickly after the resolution was passed and he seemed quite relaxed and at ease. and he gave an indication that it had some idea and the government had some idea of what might be in the resolution, he said from meetings it had with the u.n. secretary general special representative the day before. but he said that the government supported this resolution, would act positively. he said the government likes the part of the resolution that said that civilians should be protected. he also said that the government liked the part of the resolution that said the integrity of the country should be respected. but when he was asked do you think there will be any air strikes, he said no. when asked, was the country preparing in any way for the possibility of air strikes? he said he didn't know or wouldn't answer. but one thing he was very, very

clear about, he said the international community must stop the rebels getting weapons. and he was very clear on that. but when he was asked was the government going to adhere to the immediate call by the u.n. for a cease-fire, he seemed to indicate that might take the government a little time to do that. >> regarding the cease-fire, the -- we told the secretary of the united nations that the armed forces that we're ready immediately to do that. but we need to talk to someone to agree on the technicalities on this decision. >> reporter: there are many people who may look at that answer and say, look, the government is trying to play for time here. this might be some kind of stall tactic, that the government might want to finish off its advance so it can get around the city of benghazi. so that's going to be -- that kind of language will very likely be a concern for the international community. and interestingly, just as the

security council was getting ready to make the votes on resolution 1973, i took a call from one of moammar gadhafi's sons who said he just talked with his father and his father was announcing that they were going to change their tactics, that the army wasn't going to go into benghazi, that they were going to put check points around the city, that they would help the civilians who wanted to flee the city. that he said the only people that go in would be a counterterrorism force and the police to disarm the rebels. it seems from the language he was using there that perhaps moammar gadhafi had an idea of what was going to -- the language that was going to appear in the resolution, as well. because this language about taking care of civilians seems to play into what the u.n. is calling for. clearly, a lot of people are going to look at that statement and really wonder if the government really will carry it through.

but it does seem that the government was caught to a degree unawares by the resolution passing. they'll might have known what may have been coming in it, but i think a lot of them here really didn't expect it to pass. and really did think they could continue with that military advance. nic robertson, cnn, tripoli, libya. >> what exactly does a no-fly zone mean? preventing libya's aircraft from entering designated air space. if they enter, the pilots would be warned to leave. if they failed to leave, they would be fired on. but u.s. military officials say the speed and altitude of the jets would make it hard to target gadhafi's helicopters. and it's not spelled out whether libyan ground forces could be targeted. but the resolution does call for "all necessary measures to protect civilians" and rules out only a foreign occupying force. in 30 minutes, we'll have a

special report from john king. he takes a look at which countries back the resolution and which didn't as well as the options for international action from this point on. let's turn our attention to japan where fire hoses are being turned on those damaged reactors at the fukushima nuclear plant. efforts to continue -- efforts are continuing to try to stop overheating inside some of the reactors and in that spent reactor, the spent fuel pool in one of the reactor housings. authorities say the most serious situation is there in reactor number three out of the six at the power station. they believe it is releasing radiation into the atmosphere. engineers are also trying to restore electric power for the very first time since the earthquake hit one week ago. so far, they've managed to get an emergency generator connected to units five and six. that should allow them to pump

water more effectively. well, let's get more on the situation there. our senior international correspondent stan grant joining us now from tokyo. stan, what is the latest the government officials are telling us? >> reporter: you know, jim, we've been describing this in the past in various ways, and i've used this phrase, running just a stand still. running now and taking a few steps forward to be honest. late last night, reactors one, five, and six describing as relatively stable. still left a problem with two, three, and four. they've been dropping water from the air yesterday and off the back of trucks. today still using trucks and still bombarding those reactors with water. and they can't get close enough to say exactly how successful that has been. but the fact that steam has been coming off while they've been pouring the water in there is some indication they may be hitting their mark. you touched on the electricity generators, that is absolutely going to be key. as you know, this all started because the power got knocked

out and that affected the cooling system. if they can get the generators attached properly, get those cooling systems into gear, a much better chance of cooling down those reactors and stopping that radiation leaking into the atmosphere. that's absolutely crucial. >> the helicopter shots really show the force of those hydrogen explosions that literally ripped the tops off some of these reactor facilities. as all of this goes ahead, one of the big questions people have is how much radiation is getting out of this plant? and what is the source of that radiation? >> this has been absolutely crucial. and they're so arbitrary, you know, you hear these readings and most people have no idea what they're talking about. radiation is a red flag. you hear radiation, of course, you imagine the worst. but as we've tried to explain to various people on programs we've had and scientists and so on have tried to explain, there are different types of radiation,

radioactive elements that can seep into the atmosphere from this. but it has been peaking and dropping. you mentioned the reactor number three. there's a big concern about that. because they fear that the containment vessel there may be damaged in some way. and that's what holds in the more nasty radioactive elements within the core of the reactor. and if that's the stuff in the atmosphere -- despite the assurances, jim, that it is safe, people are not prepared to bet their lives on it. and they're feeling that gap between the fear and the information they're getting with a lot of mistrust. that's where the issue lies, jim. >> all right. just some of the issues that are coming up this day in japan as the struggle there goes on. stan grant continuing to give us front line coverage of what's happening there. as always, thanks to you and your team. you're watching "world one." the search for loved ones goes on. >> heartbreaking scenes from

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hello, this is "world one." >> these are our top stories right now. a new diplomatic move paving the way for the international community to use military force in libya's civil war to protect civilians. the u.n. security council passed a resolution to impose a no-fly zone over the north african nation. rebels who are still in control in the east celebrated while one of colonel gadhafi's sons said his forces would not attack the rebel stronghold of benghazi but would, instead, try to surround it. emergency crews are battling to bring down reactor

temperatures in japan's crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant in a fourth round of operations from the ground and air. fire trucks have been spraying water on to the badly damaged unit three. the united nations nuclear watchdog says temperatures in the spent fuel pools of reactors five and six remain high, but they are relatively stable. as japan races to try to stop a nuclear disaster, many survivors of the earthquake and tsunami are still searching for loved ones. loved ones who have been missing for fully a week. let's listen to some of their stories. >> translator: my wife, my son's family, and four grandchildren, i lost them all. i can't take it.

>> translator: missing. missing? your child? no, my father, my father's missing. you came out to look for your father. >> translator: i gave up the idea that he's still alive and i'm trying to reclaim all the belongings. >> translator: trying to find her husband. her husband was a town assembly member and right after the earthquake he rushed to her, and the assembly was adjourned and he came to me and ordered me to evacuate. and that's the last time i saw him. the town hall was devastated because of the tsunami and many of the people including the mayor are missing.

the husband has been calling the residents to evacuate the others moments before the tsunami attacked and probably engulfed in the tsunami and lost his chance to evacuate. even though i go to the morgue, i'm too scared to identify the bodies. i don't want to accept the fact that i have to accept the fact looking at the site like this. >> looking at all of that devastation, realizing the power of that tsunami one week ago. and seeing the survivors there wrapped up, bundled up against the cold. you have to realize that the weather has a lot to do with this. it is bitter cold, snow in some cases. now, though, we hear of a new threat. let's go to ivan cabrera for more on that. >> jim, good to see you. in the scheme of things -- we'll keep this in perspective. the situation i'm about to talk to you about here along the coast. there's an additional flood threat now. but it is going to be minor and

not going to be affecting everyone here. and the reason we have a flood threat along the coast is because japan has literally sunk because of the 9.0 earthquake. so now as the normal high tides come in, the tides that would normally not flood the coast are going to be flooding the coast in minor fashion, but still, we don't like to see water where it's not supposed to be. and that's what's going to be happening as the tides come in. in addition to that, we have astronomical high tides this weekend as the spring tides are up. so the japan meteorological agency has put up these advisories here for tidal surge. in fact, we've already seen the flooding that has been ongoing. take a look at some of the pictures we've been getting out of the coast courtesy of this -- and jim reynolds here, and he's been bringing us these pictures. this is not tsunami related or aftershock related, this is just the tides coming in and flooding low-lying areas.

that flood will be with us throughout the weekend, especially through the 19th. we'll watch that closely. now, as jim was talking about, we've been showing you pictures of the snow, cold, and ice while we have a significant pattern change that we had been anticipating. and that is going to be moving in through the weekend here. temperatures that you see here in the low to mid-single digits are going to be replaced by low to mid teens. that celsius, of course, in the 50s for the weekend. and again, you see that wind shift already. we had been northwest, right? and now we're seeing the winds coming out of the south and west. as that high moves in, and that usher in a milder air mass. we are going to be seeing temperatures in the low to mid teens this weekend. it'll be mighty nice out there, certainly comparatively. a lot of folks without power, and temperatures are now going to be above freezing. that is a good thing. we're also going to be able to melt the snow that had fall en n

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it pays to discover. wherever you are in the world, you're watching "world one" i'm jim clancy at cnn center. japan's nuclear safety agency raised the fukushima accident level to five from four. that's according to media reports. experts are rating these kinds of nuclear vents on an international scale from zero to seven. chernobyl was a seven, a major accident. and that was the highest, three mile island was rated a five. authorities say the accident at fukushima plant rates a six. there's been a lot of speculation about the dangers posed by radiation that is coming, known to be coming from those reactors. but as our reggie aqui reports,

that can have serious effects on the human body. >> we're going to take a look now at how radiation can affect the body. we've prepared this chart here. we're going to start in the thyroid. you may have heard those iodine pills you can try to take to try to protect the thyroid. radioactive iodine exposure raises long-term risk of thyroid cancer. moderate to heavy radiation can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. it can affect your bone marrow cells. none of these alone is fatal. we're going to talk about the dna too, gamma rays damaged the dna molecules and increased the long-term for cancer risks. some of the ways your body's affected by exposure to a good amount of radiation. what is amount of radiation that is safe or unsafe.

let's look at this. a safe limit is considered 50 millisieverts. to put that in perspective, if you go to the doctor and get a chest x-ray, that will expose you to about .1, 50 is about the limit that an employee at a plant, like the one we're seeing at fukushima could be exposed to and considered safe. a measurable number is 250 millisieverts. we mean if you went and took a blood test and exposed to that level, it would show up in that blood test. and this is the point at which we start getting concerned, especially for employees at a plant. they get really concerned when there's a millisievert reading of 300. that is when they'll start to see some pretty serious health effects, at least in the short-term. long-term, i'm told, it may not have a long-term effect. but very serious effects come in when we jump up to 1,000. now, currently, the level that they're experiencing and reading outside of the plant is

somewhere between 300 and 1,000. now, let's move this over and compare again that serious health effect at 1,000 millisieverts, at about 4,500 millisieverts, we're told there is a 50% chance that within 30 days of exposure to that amount of radiation you would die from the exposure. and so you can see the jump here from 1,000, serious health effects to 4,500. of course, this is the worst-case scenario. it would be above this in a chernobyl type of exposure, but even at the 4,500, there's a good chance of death from exposure. a quick look at how radiation affects your body and at what point it becomes serious. >> good information. thanks for that. you're watching "world one". >> stay with us for global reaction to the events in libya. we'll have live reports from the streets of london and paris in just a few moments. hostcould swo really save you 15% or more on car insurance?

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you're with "world one," i'm jim clancy at cnn center. our top stories this hour. >> fukushima accident level to five from four. that according to media reports. experts are rating these kinds of nuclear events. there is an international scale that goes from zero to seven.

chernobyl, a seven, a major accident, the highest rating. the 1979 accident at three mile island was rated just a five. french nuclear authorities say the accident at japan's fukushima plant, they're rating it now at a six. japanese authorities are battling to bring down temperatures at reactors in the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant. evacuation zones are still in place around two earthquake-damaged nuclear power stations. crews have been spraying water on the number three reactor from the air and from the ground. plant operators say three rounds of dousing the unit have been somewhat effective. opposition figures in bahrain have accused opposition forces of crimes against humanity saying they're attacking villages and towns in an attempt to try to subdue the popular uprising. the u.n. human rights chief and amnesty international issuing statements calling on the

bahraini government to end the violence against its own people. a suspected u.s. drone has killed up to 30 civilians in pakistan. the prime minister said the attack would strengthen the hand of extremists, and the army chief of staffs said it showed a complete disregard of human life. it followed the release of an american. charges against raymond davis, cia contractor were dropped on wednesday. we are sorting out who is supposed to be reading what right now, but it's live television. we want to get -- we've got so many important stories. we want to get back to the situation in libya. it's one that's developing minute-by-minute. obviously there's been a lot of speculations about what's the real meaning of this decision by the u.n. the rebels in libya, of course, celebrated the vote, flying into the air, seeing the no-fly zone

as something to help their cause and protect their lives. still the question remains, will it save them? or is it simply what some might call just a stay of execution, delaying tactic? let's get more from cnn's john king. >> the big question, after the dramatic vote is what next? here's another question. is it too late? is it too late? i raise that because if you look back into late february, see the green cities, these are under opposition control. now this update, as gadhafi forces have moved against trying to crush the opposition, you see the government, the regime has taken control of much more of the vital cities. opposition centered in the east, though. as we watch this play out, what would a no-fly zone mean? where could the initial strikes come from? from u.s. military vessels already in the mediterranean sea, nato assets in the area, as well. no-fly zone could be enforced up

in italy, although the administration has been adamant it wants arab nations to be involved, as well. egypt has an air force, the main concern and one of the reasons secretary gates has been so cautious is he believes you would have to take out all of these libyan military installations, deny the libyan air force the ability to fly. perhaps you could cradle the runways, but the issue in the early hours of any no-fly zone would be gadhafi's significant surface to air missile and anti-aircraft systems located here along the strategic north coast. these purple circles, longer range surface to range missiles. these smaller circles are more localized around the major cities here. secretary gates and others warning that if you have a no-fly zone in the early hours, these would be the greatest risk to any pilot. so flip the equation this way. in the early hours, if there are strikes, look for the targets to be right along here. the surface to air missiles

anti-aircraft facilities as well as the northern libyan airstrips that have been used in the strikes against the rebels. >> john king reporting there. we want to look at the international response to the u.n. security council's vote. phil black with us from downing street here in london. phil? >> yes. a meeting of the british cabinet is here on downing street this morning. an opportunity for the british government to discuss some of the details and options for military intervention in libya. that intervention it has fought so hard for now over a number of weeks. because there are so many details that are yet to be revealed. precisely when will this action begin? which countries will be involved? who will have commanding control. and what role for the united states? we hope to learn more when the british prime minister david cameron makes a statement to the british parliament in around 2 1/2 hour's time. but so far, the government here has been broadly very welcoming of the u.n. vote. this was a statement from the british foreign secretary

william hague moments after the vote. >> we have said all along that gadhafi must go. that the libyan people must be able to have a more representative government and determine their own future. and it is necessary to take these measures to avoid greater bloodshed and to try to stop -- what is happening in terms of the attacks on civilians. >> reporter: that resolution for taking military intervention. the government argued it must meet criteria, a clear legal basis and strong regional support. the british government says those three criteria have now been fulfilled. it's got the u.n. vote, which is the legal basis. so it now remains to be scene just how this resolution will be enforced. >> phil black at downing street. thank you.

obviously some people were opposed to the u.n. no-fly zone. russia and china, that was a given. but then germany also was opposed. all of those countries abstain from casting their votes on the u.n. security council. one of the strongest supporters, france. jim bitterman joins us now live from cnn paris. what is the word on the streets and in the halls of government? >> reporter: well, i'll start with the halls of government, jim. in fact, there's an emergency meeting going on right now here, as well, between president sarkozy and the prime minister. and they're talking about exactly how this should be -- how this should unfold. we may hear a little bit about that when president sarkozy has previously engaged -- previous engagement. this morning he may be seeiayin

few things about that. lobbying very hard for this u.n. resolution. he said at that point that it would -- that any kind of strikes would take place within a meartd of hoatter of hours. i think the french are ready to move, or sound like ready to move. at the same time, there's a nato meeting that is going to take place up in brussels, and they're going to debate exactly how this is going to happen. phil black, it's not even clear where the command and control center will be if it'll be in paris or london. and also, not clear how these attacks would take place, what kind of assets bringing force to bear against libya. now, in terms of the countries that are lining up with france. and france made it very clear they wanted to have arab support in this because of the arab resolution on libya. and it looks like they're getting some of that. saying this morning that it will, in fact, support an operation, military operation

with military jets. we're assuming military jets. the uae is saying it possibly could or at least it was hinting that the diplomats. among european and nato allies stacks up like this. norway is saying it would support a military operation. canada is sending -- according to reports, six f-18 fighter jets, poland is saying it will provide logistical support. and as you mentioned, germany does not want to participate at all. jim? >> all right. jim bitterman in paris lining up both sides. a lot of things still in flux. thank you. jim, we want to take a look at what newspapers around the world are saying about the story in libya. in the uk, the headline says libya finally forces barack obama's hand. it goes on to say that gadhafi acts like a bully and a coward, but he is full of bluster. only a sudden bloody nose will

convince him to desist. this he is probably about to recede. and once the -- also the uk says, as rebels face dictator's onslaug onslaught, u.s. finally urges world to fight. it says while america was not looking for another war, it had also determined it could not sit back and witness what some fear was becoming a massacre. and finally, the international herald tribune reflects on gadhafi's decisions in the past few weeks with the headline "why gadhafi has already lost." had gadhafi responded with openness to reform, the urban elite might have been placate and the violent rebellion avoided. he blew it. once his army and police shot at protesters, the pent up affection was released and too late to bottle it up. one issue, many views, you can

read those articles at facebook.com/w1cnn. you're watching "world one." our brian todd is in tsunami-hit japan. >> reporter: look at this. this goes out to an inlet. within minutes, the force of this water just came and swept through this entire town. you can see everything here has been virtually wiped out. a few structures remain. those structures are just barely hanging on, frankly, and it's very dangerous to even go inside them. with more than 10,000 people still missing, brian meets some of the people searching for their loved ones. and trying to make sense out of it all. stay with us for that. but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs,

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you're watching "world one," i'm jim clancy on cnn center. well, while some people are

searching for survivors, there is a different kind of quest for others. amid the rubble of their former homes, it may look like a search for possessions, but many people are seeking only to try to bring order out of chaos. brian todd has more from the town of unosami. >> reporter: in a matter of minutes, there was almost nothing left. the town of unosumai seemed to suffer like no other place. other cities in japan could claim at least some of their neighborhoods survived. not here. we're at a rare vantage point where you can actually visualize the force and scope of the tsunami. look, it knocked the railroad track right off. it was that powerful. and look all around me. the sweep of this is incredible. it came off the inlet within minutes and destroyed everything from as far as you can see. some local residents who escaped

are back. they seem still in shock as they start to pick through their homes. describe how you feel about what this has done to your home, your town. >> translator: surprised because this was the first time during my 75 years life. and i was really upset and i was really scared. >> reporter: but in some cases, people exhibit almost unfathomable behavior. combing through homes that aren't there, doing menial tasks, seemingly just to maintain their sanity. in the midst of this carnage, what good could it do to shovel small clumps of debris from one side of a walk way to the other? just a few feet away, one visitor isn't surprised. an emergency medicine specialist with the l.a. search and rescue team has seen these patterns in haiti and after the tsunami in

sri lanka. >> it's a catastrophic incident, horrendous thing, out of anyone's experience. so trying to piece back together those things that were normal for you is a big part of the healing process and starting that process of recovery. >> reporter: a japanese official tells us people in this town are known for being provincial, not venturing out much, keeping to themselves. so, of course, their lives have now been disrupted and destroyed on two levels. they've lost their homes and they've had to be displaced, take up residence in a place they're not used to while thinking of everything they left behind. brian todd, unosumai, japan. we want to remind you of a new way to take action if you want to help people in japan. throughout our coverage, we will show you a special black and white code like the one we're showing you now. if you scan it with your

smartphone, it loads impact your world automatically, you don't have to type. we'll bring this code up throughout the day here on cnn. you can keep your phone handy. you are watching "world one" live. when we come back, a show of support. >> the world's biggest economies band together to take some of the pressure off japan. the pack. you know when to hold 'em... and how to fold 'em. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above and still pay the mid-size price. here we are... [ male announcer ] and there you go, business pro. there you go. go national. go like a pro.

welcome back. you're watching "world one." i'm jim clancy at cnn center. >> we're coming up on noon in tripoli, 7:00 p.m. in tokyo. our top stories right now. with enough hands raised and no vetoes, the united nations security council voted to do whatever it takes to protect libya's civilians and place them under a no-fly zone.

france was one country that backed the resolution. military strikes against libya will take place swiftly. emergency crews battling to bring down reactor temperatures in japan's crippled fukushima nuclear plant. the united nations nuclear watchdog reports temperatures in the spent fuel pools of reactors five and six remain high, but relatively stable. well, let's go back to japan, which is struggling to deal with the aftermath of its worst ever earthquake. and then, of course, the destructive tsunami that followed. fluctuations in the value of its currency are threatening to make things even worse. the international community, though, stepping in, making a move to help. to explain, "world business today's" pauline chiu joins us. >> for the first time in more

than a decade, the group of seven nations has agreed to intervene to help japan slow down the rise in the yen. take a look at what's been happening today with the dollar/yen movements. on this graph, the higher the line, the weaker the yen, and the yen, in fact, is weakening. you can see that there. i'm going to start this morning at around 5:00 a.m. at this point when the yen was trading at less than $78.9 per dollar. three hours later, look at this. this is the time of the g-7 announcement when the yen weakened sharply. and right now it's trading at about 81.45. this weakening of the yen is what japan wants. because a yen that is too strong cuts into the profits of japanese companies that do business overseas when they repatriate their earnings. now this could severely hinder japan's ability to recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that happened a week ago

today. the last time we saw this kind of coordinated action from the g-7 was back in september of 2000 when the g-7 tried to prop up a sinking euro. but a strategist we spoke to said this may only be a temporary fix. >> well, i think a concerted move obviously has more, you know, gravitas, if you like, in terms of the market. at the end of the day, though, the move in the yen to strength has been going on for weeks and months before the unfortunate events of the past week. and so really i think all that's likely to happen is intervention will perhaps stop strength in the yen generate some short-term reversal for a little while. but generally, i think the yen as a currency is probably going to stay reasonably strong. >> now, do keep in mind japan is a huge exporter country and relies on exports for much of its economic growth. think of brands like toyota, honda, and sony. and in the g-7's joint communique today, the group's

finance ministers basically said, yes, japan will help you out in concerted intervention. and as we have long stated, they're saying in this communique, access volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates have adverse implications for stability. and we will monitor exchange markets closely and will cooperate as appropriate. so that's part of of the communique, jim, that came out of the finance minister's meeting. their teleconference call earlier today. jim? >> you know, the financial speak leaves a lot of people confused. when you say other countries are intervening, what exactly are they going to do? >> yeah. that's a question that a lot of people are asking. what's the exact plan? and i asked that question to the chief foreign exchange strategist for barclay's capital in tokyo. he says it's still pretty vague, but most likely the g-7 countries and the european central bank will intervene in the dollar/yen market by buying

more dollars and selling yen. this will weaken the yen. he also says it's not clear how much money is involved. the central banks usually don't reveal that immediately. now, let's take a look at how the markets have reacted to this news out of the g-7 on this friday session. this is japan's benchmark index. it closed up 2.7%. which is good news compared to the losses it took earlier this -- right now on "american morning," rebels in libya now have backup, the world. they're digging in their heels for what could be a decisive battle as the united nations approves a no-fly zone. we're live in libya with the latest. also, one week since the earthquake and tsunami that devastated japan. thousands are dead, thousands of more missing. hopes of finding survivors are vanishing. and they're still trying to deal with this nuclear catastrophe this morning. imagine ordering an evacuation of new york city. the nuclear crisis in japan has

america asking, are we ready? we will ask one of the largest plant operators in the country what their reactors are built to withstand. and we've seen how social media helped overthrow a regime. now google is trying to help people locate loved ones in japan. an invention that kale right from the hearts and minds of engineers. all the very latest in libya and japan on this "american morning." homeowners -- rates have been going up, but you can still refinance to a fixed rate as low as 4.75% at lendingtree.com, where customers save an average of $293 a month. call lending tree at... today. by giving me huge discounts on rooms hotels can't always fill.

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